Kansas State wide receiver Byron Pringle and defensive back D.J. Reed have been invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine as the National Football League released its list of 326 participants for the event, which will take player at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, Indiana, later this month. That’s according to a release from K-State Athletics.
It marks the fifth time in the last six years K-State has sent multiple players to the most vital event on the path to the NFL Draft. The Wildcats are currently riding the longest NFL Draft streak in the Big 12 at 24 years, a mark that ranks as the 12th-longest streak in the nation.
Both juniors who chose to forgo their senior seasons, Pringle and Reed are coming off All-Big 12 campaigns. Pringle earned honorable mention accolades from the league’s coaches as a kick returner, while Reed was a Second Team All-American returner by the Walter Camp Foundation and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in addition to earning Second Team All-America accolades as a defensive back by Pro Football Focus, and First Team All-Big 12 honors at both defensive back and returner.
Pringle recently played at the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he was widely regarded as one of the top receivers during the week. He is coming off a two-year stint at K-State in which the former community-college prospect amassed over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 1,000 receiving yards. He finished second in school history in career yards per reception (19.64) and sixth in both career kickoff-return average (27.6) and yards (1,076).
This past season, Pringle finished third nationally and tops in the Big 12 in yards per reception at 24.13, a mark that broke the school record. He also totaled 23.3 yards per all-purpose play to break the K-State single-season record and averaged at least 25 yards per catch in five games, including the Oklahoma State (41.5) and Central Arkansas (40.33) game to rank third and fourth in school history, respectively.
Reed finished his career with a 32.2-yard career kickoff-return average to rank second in school history, while his 34.2-yard average in 2017 ranked third in school history and fourth in Big 12 history. He finished the 2017 season ranked second in the Big 12 with four interceptions, while he was third in passes defended with 13, including 11 in Big 12 play to lead the conference.
The NFL Combine begins on Tuesday, February 27, with on-field workouts beginning on Friday, March 2. Pringle and the wide receiver group will be on the field on Saturday, March 3, while Reed and the defensive backs will close the NFL Combine on Monday, March 5. All on-field workouts will be televised live on NFL Network.